Motor vehicle component
AssigneeWKW Erbsloeh Automotive GmbH
InventorsAndreas Wacker, Bernd Fausten, Michael Hoinka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A motor vehicle component consisting of a metal profile element and a lighting element. The profile element has a channel extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile with an externally accessible opening extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile. The lighting element serves to produce a strip of light radiating in the longitudinal direction of the profile, and is arranged in the channel of the profile element so as to be concealed behind an outer surface of the profile element so that the radiated light does not arrive directly at the outside, but instead is reflected outward by a reflecting surface of the profile element.
Claims20
A motor vehicle component,
- including a metal profile element (10) having a front profile end region (11), a back profile end region (12) and a center profile region (13) extending between the profile end regions (11, 12), the metal profile element (10) having a longitudinal direction, and
- including a lighting element (30) for producing a strip of light radiating in the longitudinal direction of the profile element (10),
- wherein the profile element (10) has a channel (15) extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile element (10), in which the lighting element (30) is held,
- wherein the channel (15) has an externally accessible opening (16) extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile element (10),
- characterized in that the channel (15) with the lighting element (30) is arranged so as to be concealed behind an outer surface (14) of the profile element (10),
- in that a reflecting surface (18, 18′) is located on the profile element (10) adjacent the opening (16) of the channel (15), wherein the reflecting surface (18, 18′) is oriented at such an angle that rays of light emitted by the lighting element (30) directly strike the reflecting surface (18, 18′) and are directly radiated out of the profile element (10), and
- in that the reflecting surface (18, 18′) has a width that is greater than the width of the opening (16) of the channel (15),
- further characterized in that the reflecting surface is corrugated, the corrugation produced during extrusion of the profile element, peaks and valleys of the corrugation extending longitudinally.
A method for use with an apparatus, comprising:
- a metal profile element (10) having a front profile end region (11), a back profile end region (12) and a center profile region (13) extending between the profile end regions (11, 12), the metal profile element (10) having a longitudinal direction, and
- including a lighting element (30) for producing a strip of light radiating in the longitudinal direction of the profile element (10),
- wherein the profile element (10) has a channel (15) extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile element (10), in which the lighting element (30) is held,
- wherein the channel (15) has an externally accessible opening (16) extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile element (10),
- characterized in that the channel (15) with the lighting element (30) is arranged so as to be concealed behind an outer surface (14) of the profile element (10),
- in that a reflecting surface (18, 18′) is located on the profile element (10) adjacent the opening (16) of the channel (15), wherein the reflecting surface (18, 18′) is oriented at such an angle that rays of light emitted by the lighting element (30) directly strike the reflecting surface (18, 18′) and are directly radiated out of the profile element (10), and
- in that the reflecting surface (18, 18′) has a width that is greater than the width of the opening (16) of the channel (15),
- the profile element further characterized in that the reflecting surface is corrugated, the corrugation produced during extrusion of the profile element,
- peaks and valleys of the corrugation extending longitudinally,
- the method comprising the steps of providing power to the lighting element (30),
- having the rays of light strike the reflecting surface (18, 18′),
- and the rays of light being radiated out of the profile element (10).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.